Hey, are you guys getting paid to show up? "It's a charity thing," Buckley told us. "Of course I'm not being paid."

The buyer gets a private dinner for 10 at N.Y.C.'s famed Algonquin Hotel, and chooses eight guests from the list but -- disclaimer! -- isn't guaranteed those favorites will actually be at the table. ("Final guest list is at our discretion; substitutions could occur.") "We'll do our best," said Neiman rep Ginger Reeder.

Of course, the idea of reproducing the legendary gathering of wits is fraught with downsides: forced one-liners, awkward pauses, invidious comparisons to Dorothy Parker, withering asides on literary blogs -- which are already having fun with the published list of "brightest minds."

"George is the appeal," said Wentworth, who was asked to participate by First Book co-founder Kyle Zimmer. "I'll probably pass the nuts and show people where the toilet is."

The upside? The charity gets a huge chunk of change and lots of free publicity. If no one buys the fantasy dinner before the Jan. 31 deadline, the store will donate an undisclosed amount -- but far less than the $200K sales price.